A US woman who shot and killed her husband and two adult children before taking her own life is thought to have committed the shocking crime as a result of being ostracised from the religion she was raised in.

A federal judge sentenced a former Arkansas judge Wednesday to five years in prison — a stiffer punishment than prosecutors recommended — after he admitted giving young male defendants lighter sentences in return for personal benefits that included sexual favours.

Every time I tell a mate I’m doing a story on cryptocurrency, they invariably ask me the same two questions: should they invest their own hard-earned money, and which cryptocurrency will get them a Lamborghini/yacht/island quickest?

In a 60 Minutes online exclusive, reporter Liz Hayes quizzed Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull on his relationship with the unpredictable Twitter aficionado and US president Donald Trump ahead of their meeting at the White House Friday.

Hurricane Max hits Mexico near Acapulco

Hurricane Max has slammed into Mexico's southern Pacific coast, dumping rain on an area east of the resort city of Acapulco before weakening into a tropical storm as it move inland into Guerrero state.

The coastline where Max made landfall is sparsely populated and dotted with fishing villages.

Guerrero Governor Hector Astudillo warned that the rains would continue all night. Near Acapulco, the government worked feverishly to widen a channel to the sea to prevent a coastal lagoon from flooding.

The US National Hurricane Center earlier on Thursday issued a hurricane warning for Max for the coastline between Zihuatanejo and Punta Maldonado, and said the storm could bring "life-threatening flash floods and rainfall" to Guerrero and Oaxaca states.

Max had maximum sustained winds of 110 km/h and was located about 130km east of Acapulco. It was heading toward the east at 13km/h, the hurricane center reported.

Acapulco, about 60km from where the hurricane made landfall, was hit by strong winds and rain that blew down some branches on the city's coastal boulevard.